The present disclosure relates generally to inkjet inks and method(s) for forming the same.
Metallic inks often include a metal dispersed in an ink vehicle. One attribute of such a metallic ink is its electrical conductivity. As such, metallic ink may be used as a coating material for electrical devices, such as, for example, solar cells, flat panel displays, touch screens, printed circuit boards, flexible circuit boards, thin films, plastic films, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, organic semiconductors, and organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Another attribute of metallic inks is its tendency to shine when exposed to light. Thus, metallic inks may be useful in printing processes for forming printed images exhibiting a metallic luster (e.g., decorative applications, such as greeting cards, scrap books, brochures, sign boards, business cards, certificates, and other like applications).
The metals used (e.g., gold, palladium, or platinum) to manufacture metallic inks may be costly, and as such, may be economically impractical for commercialization, especially in the printing industry. Other metals have a tendency to fade or lose their metallic luster over time. Furthermore, some metals (e.g., copper) are reactive to various elements in the environment (e.g., air) and have a tendency to lose their electrical conductivity.
Other metallic inks have been derived from metallized organic pigments, metallized aluminum slurries/dispersions, pearlescent pigments, or other non-metallic solutions that exhibit metallic colors. Such inks are generally not made of true metals, and thus may exhibit a relatively dull color. Furthermore, such inks may require large pigment particle sizes (e.g., greater than 5 microns) in order to achieve a desirable metallic effect, and/or may have relatively high viscosities.